Toe guard for ice skates



May 26, 1931. c. l. JOHNSON 1,806,975

TOE GUARD FOR ICE SKATES Filed May 25. 1929 Patented May 26, 1931 UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES I. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NESTOR JOHNSON MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS 'ron einem) ron ron sxArEs Application filed May 23,

This invention relates to Vtoe-guards for shoes and more particularly for'shoes which are attached to ice-skates, in order to protect the toes and adjacent portions of the foot of a player from blows or other impacts when playing the rough and strenuous game of hockey. 1

The guard is in such form that it may readily and easily be applied over the toerof the shoe, either while attached to the skate or at the time of securing the shoe and skate together at the factory, or by a dealer.

The guard is made of a suitable rigid material, such as leather, fiber or sheet-metal and is strong enough to protect ythe toe and adjacent portion of the foot of the player from the blows or other impacts likely to be received when playing the game referred to. The guard is made adjustable so that it may titV over the toes of the shoes of different sizes and shapes. The guard is also made with eyelets or openings in its top wall so that the lace of theshoe or a separate lace or cord may be engaged with the guard'to draw it over the toe ofthe shoe and hold itin place.

The guard is also provided with'means at itslower edge to engage between the sole of the shoe and the sole plate of the skate to Y j hold the guard from displacement when on the shoe.

' The invention consists further in the manners hereinafter described and claimed:

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. l is a side view of an ice-skate with a shoe attached and a toe guard of my invenview taken and 2 indicates the regulation shoe which is attached by riveting or otherwise to the'sole land heel plates 3, 4; of the skate on'the upper side thereof as in outfits of this kind.

The toe-guard or protector of my invention is made of sheet metal, ber, leather or 1929. Serial No. 365,379.

other desired relatively rigid and stiff material and isA shaped to fit in the manner of a cap over the top and'sides of the toe portion vof the shoe 2 and about the front of the same, as shown in Figures l and 2.

The guard has an upright marginal wall 5, preferably flat but curved to lit about the rounded front end of the toe of the shoe, as shown in Fig. 2. rlhe wall 5 extends upward from the sole plate 3 of the skate and has a number of inwardly extending flat lugs or ears 6, 7 at itslower edge to be inserted between the sole plate 3 of the skate and the sole ofthe shoe, as shown in Fig. 4:.v The lugs 6, 6 are at the sides of the guard and are made wider and longer than the lugs 7 7 which are at the front of the guard. With the lugs between the sole of the shoe and the sole plate of the skate, the guard is held against vertical displacement when in place on the shoe. Thek side lugs 6, 6 are long enough to extend inward between the rivets which attach the shoe to the skate and thus prevent the guard from shifting 0E the front end of the shoe. The lugs 7, 7 being at the front of guard prevent it from being drawn upward whenfastened on the shoe by the lace or cord to be presently described.

The top wall 8 of the guard extends in- Y ward over the upper portionv of the shoe at the toe and is slit or severed at its center, as at 9, with the sides of the slit diverged from the marginal wall 5 so that the two sections of the top wall provided bythe slit may be' drawn toward each other to adjust the guard to the size and shape of the shoe with which it is used. 'Io accomplish this, I provide an eyelet or opening l() in each top wall section and thread the lace 11 of the shoe through the eyelets so as to 'draw the guard over the toe of the shoe and have it fit the same, as well as hold it rigidly in place. A separate lace or cord could be used for this purpose if desired, thus freeing the lace of the shoe from the duty and permitting the guard to be applied tojandl removed from the shoe without the necessity of removing the lace of the shoe.

Y A connector 12 is employed to prevent undue spreading of the top wall sections of the guard. This is brought about by having the ends of the connector bent to provide tongues 13, 13 which are inserted m slots 14, la in the top wall sections oi the guard on opposite sides 0l the .slit 9, as dearly shown 1n ldig. Q.

The lugs G, 7 may be integral with the marginal wall 5 or they may be otherwise connected with said wall. Vhen the guard is sold as an attachment, the lugs are inserted between the sole of the shoe and the sole plate 3 of the skate and are not rigidly connected therewith. They serve to hold the guard in place due to the tight iit which they have between the sole ot the shoe and the sole plate of the skate.

The lugs 6 may be riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to either the sole of the shoe (6 Fig. et) or the sole plate of the skate (6b, Fig. 4L), or both, at the factory at the time the shoe and skate are assembled and riveted together, or by the dealer when attaching guards and securing skates and shoes together. YVhen so applied the guard becomes a fixed part of the outiit and forms a permanent toe-guard for the toe of the shoe and adjacent portion thereof both at the sides and over the top o1E the shoe.

The guard may also be used with shoes attached to skates of types other than the tubular type, and I do not wish to be limited to the application of my invention to any particular type of skate or any particular form of shoe that may be used therewith.

The details of structure shown and described may be variously changed and modiied without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, ot a` guard fitting over the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard being slit so asrto fit shoes of different sizes and shapes, and lugs on the guard to engage between the sole of the shoe and the skate.

2. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard for the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard having a marginal wall extending about the front and sides of the toe portion of the shoe and a top wall extending rearward over the top of the shoe, said top wall being slit to the marginal wall and having openings therein on the opposite sides of the slit whereby a lace or cord may be engaged with the guard to draw it over the shoe, and lugs on the guard to engage between the sole of the shoe and the skate.

3. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard for the toe portion of the shoe, said guard having an upright marginal wall, curved to tit about the front and sides of the shoe at the toe and a top wall extending rearward -from the upper edge of the marginal wall over the top of the shoe, said top wall being slit from the inner edge to said marginal wall with the edges of the slit diverging from said marginal wall so that the guard may t shoes ol; (hilarant I sizes and shapes, and lugs at the sides and front of the guard at the lower edge of said marginal wall and extending inward there- Jfrom between the sole of the shoe and the skate.

4. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard for the toe portion of the shoe, said guard having a ina-rginal wall and a top wall, the latter being slit and having openings therein on opposite sides oi" the slit to receive the lace of the shoe, and lugs on the guard at the marginal wall to engage between the sole of the shoe and the skate.

5. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, or" a guard for the toe portion of the shoe, said guard having a marginal wall and a top wall, the latter being slit and having openings therein on opposite sides of the slit to receive a lace or cord for drawing the guard on the shoe, a connector connecting the portions of the top wall across the slit therein, and lugs on the marginal wall to engage between the sole of the shoe and the skate.

6. The combination with an ice-skate having sole and heel-plates and a shoe riveted to said plates, of a toe guard made of relatively stiff material and shaped to fit over and about the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard having a marginal wall and a top wall, the latter having openings therein to receive a lace or cord for fastening the guard on the shoe, and lugs on the marginal wall at its lower edge and extending inwardly therefrom between the sole of the shoe and the sole plate of the skate.

7. The combination with a skate and a shoe attached thereto, of a guard fitting over the toe portion of the shoe to protect the same, said guard having a marginal wall extending about the front and sides of the toe portion ofthe shoe, and a top wall extending rearward over the top of the toe portion of the shoe from said marginal wall, said top wall being slit in a direction lengthwise of the shoe, so that the guard may tit shoes of different sizes and shapes, and means whereby the guard may be secured over the toe of the shoe.

8. A toe guard for shoes, comprising a member having an upright marginal wall to extend about the front and sides or" the toe portion of a shoe and atop wall to extend rearward over the top of the toe portion of the shoe, said top wall being slit so that the guard may it shoes of dierent sizes and shapes, and means carried by the guard whereby it may be applied to a shoe.

9. The combination with a skate and a Cil 

